Double Vision
by Caz Malfoy
Summary: Crossover with NY. Tim wasn't the only person who lost someone that fateful day...


_Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:Miami or NY._

Double Vision

The snow was coming down harder and faster. The conditions weren't the best but they had decided to go ahead with their plans regardless.

Surely nothing bad could happen to them on a simple race through the woods.

Suddenly a screech from the snowmobile cut through the air, shortly followed by a scream of pain. Then silence.

x

Tim's eyes flew open and he looked around in horror. He sighed with relief when he realised he wasn't at the ski-resort in the mountains anymore.

Instead, he was lying alone in his bed in Miami, shivering from the cold sweat on his skin. It was five in the morning, three hours before his shift with the Miami-Dade Crime Lab was due to begin and he knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep.

He splashed cold water on his face and blindly reached for the towel. His reflection was pale and the whites of his eyes were stained with red from the lack of sleep. It had been a long time since he had dreamt about the accident.

With a grimace he closed his eyes, fighting back the migraine threatening to erupt in his brain. He sighed and pulled the medicine cabinet open.

The nightmares had been worse after the accident, as had the migraines. The lack of sleep caused by the nightmares had lead to a build up of stress, leaving him with a migraine that remained for almost a week.

Thankfully over time they had become less frequent and, ten years later, Tim found he could go for several without having either.

x

His phone was ringing when he arrived in the lab a short while later. The ride across town had managed to wake him up somewhat and now he was feeling ready to work.

"Speedle," he greeted, switching his computer on.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line and Tim had to double check the line hadn't been disconnected.

"Tim?" a familiar voice asked hesitantly, almost as though the caller wasn't sure if he was hearing things.

The brunette took a sharp intake of breath and his mind was immediately whisked back to his dream and the victim of the crash.

"Matt?" he whispered, tears forming in his brown eyes.

x

Danny threw himself down in his chair, yawning widely as he logged onto the computer.

He was going to kill Flack. He had a hangover and it was all the blue eyed homicide detective's fault. He knew he shouldn't have agreed to go out when he had an early start the next day, but he could never say 'no' to his friend (something the younger man was more than happy to use to his advantage).

There was a note stuck to the side of the screen with a telephone number written in an elegant hand. He didn't recognise the writing on the sticker and surmised it must be their visitor, Lieutenant Horatio Caine since the number had a Miami area code.

As he logged on to the NYPD's databases he grabbed the phone and quickly dialled the number, hoping the other person was at work early as well.

The phone rang for a long time and just when he was about to hang up, the call was answered. "Speedle."

All the air rushed from Danny's lungs in record time. Old memories that had been buried for over ten years were suddenly fighting their way to the front of his mind.

"Tim?" he whispered, not sure if he was imaging the other man's voice.

"Matt?" the voice asked nervously, bringing tears to his blue eyes.

Danny felt like he had been slapped in the face. It had been a long time since he had heard that name and to be called it hurt deep inside him. "Danny," he corrected softly, looking down at the keyboard.

"Oh," Tim murmured. "Sorry. How… how are you?"

"I'm… I'm okay," he admitted quietly. "You?"

"Yeah… I suppose," Tim sighed, not sure what to say.

x

Danny leant back against the driver's seat, staring at the parking lot in front of him. It had been a long time since he had visited this place. He had forgotten how much the sight of the large iron gates stung.

With a deep breath, which did nothing to ease his nerves, he grabbed the flowers he had bought on the way there and climbed out of the car.

Even though a lot of time had passed since his last visit, the location of the grave he came to see was burnt on his memory.

Uncontrollable tears fell as he bent to place the flowers at the foot of the headstone that shouldn't be there.

"Hey, bro," he whispered, running his fingers over the engraved text on the stone, closing his eyes as he felt what the words said.

Matthew Jacob Messer  
Born 24 August 1974  
Died 19 May 1995 

It wasn't every day Danny found himself searching for something to say; Flack actually took great pleasure pointing out that the blonde always seemed to have a witty comment or retort ready.

But, staring at his twin brother's grave for the first time in almost six years, Danny found himself at a lost for words.

"Dan?" a familiar voice whispered tentatively and the New York CSI turned to face Tim.

"Hey," he smiled slightly and finding it easier than he thought it would be.

Tim surprised Danny by pulling him into his arms, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry," the brunette whispered in Danny's ear.

Danny frowned. "Why are you apologising?"

"For leaving."

The blonde shook his head. "Matt was your best friend. He…"

"He was your twin," Tim reminded him, putting a hand on Danny's unshaven cheek. "You haven't changed," he whispered. "You still look so much like him."

Danny smiled through his tears, leaning into Tim's touch. "What are you doing here?" he murmured.

"Horatio gave me a few weeks vacation," Tim explained. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, Dan," he admitted, running his thumb over Danny's lower lip.

The shorter man shivered when sparks of pleasure flew down his spine; sparks he hadn't felt for a long time.

"Me either," he said. "When you left and I didn't know where you were… I was convinced you'd forgotten about me."

Tim opened his mouth to protest, but Danny put a finger over his lips. "I get why you left now, Tim. Part of you died when Matt did… Just like part of me did."

"I wanted to come back to the city. To you." Tim rested his forehead against Danny's. "But I was scared. I lost my best friend… I couldn't face losing my boyfriend as well."

Danny smiled and turned his eyes to his brother's grave. "I wish I'd told him the truth about us before it happened."

"Me too." Tim captured his lips in a soft kiss, groaning at the taste of his former lover. "I think he knew though. You were twins… there was a connection there."

The corners of the shorter man's mouth turned upwards. "Even though we couldn't stand each other fifty percent of the time."

"Every though you couldn't stand each other most times," Tim grinned, sliding his arms around Danny and pulling him closer. "You wanna grab a drink?"

"Catch up?" the blonde suggested, his eyes twinkling.

"Something like that," Tim laughed.

x

Tim groaned and his eyes flickered open, staring through the darkness as memories of the previous night assaulted him.

His entire body ached; it had been a long time since he had let anyone touch him the way Danny had and it had been even longer since someone had been inside him. But Danny had always managed to spark that something inside him that made the Miami CSI forget everything for favour of feeling the blonde next to him.

Silently he pulled on his boxers and padded out of the room, trying not to wake Danny who was still sleeping soundly. He cursed when he walked into Danny's dresser on his way past.

To his amusement his lover didn't stir at the loud crash; some things would never change.

The apartment wasn't very big and every inch of space appeared to be taken up by either CD's, DVD's, books or baseball memorabilia. Everything Tim spotted screamed Danny completely.

The corners of his mouth turned up in a sad smile when he picked up a photograph, framed by a beautiful silver frame. The picture was of the twins, their arms slung around each other's shoulder and matching smiles on their faces.

"You took that," Danny whispered sleepily, stepping up behind Tim and sliding his arms around his waist.

"I remember," Tim replied, his voice just as quiet as he ran his fingers over his best friend's image. "It was one of the rare occasions I could get you to stop bickering with each other."

"We weren't that bad," Danny pouted, resting his chin on Tim's shoulder.

The brunette laughed and placed the frame back on the shelf. "Liar," he whispered, turning in the other man's arms and kissing him softly.

"I've got his stuff if you want to keep something," Danny murmured, sliding his hands down Tim's back. "Gloria and Anthony gave me them after it happened; apparently they didn't have room in the attic anymore."

Tim sighed and ran a hand through Danny's blonde hair. He didn't question Danny use of his parent's names; he knew that they had never approved of their youngest son's actions or choices.

When Danny had decided he wanted to play baseball his father had told him he could, over his dead body. It had taken all night for Tim and Matt to convince not to grab a knife and slice it through Anthony Messer's neck.

Matt had been the more academic of the two and usually had his head buried in a thick tome while Danny was behind the gym smoking with his friends.

"Tim?" Danny asked in concern, bringing his attention back to the present. "Are you okay?"

Tim nodded his head. "I was just thinking," he admitted.

He ran his hands up Danny's back, tracing his fingers over the scars on Danny's back and shoulder blades, a permanent reminder of the crash all three of them had been in; a crash which ended both Danny's baseball career and, ultimately, Matt's life.

"You mean you were wondering why I have Matt's stuff and not my parents," Danny corrected, moving into the bedroom and pulling open his closet.

"What can I say?" he shrugged. "When one twin's dead and you can't stand the sight of the other, apparently the most logical thing to do is cut the memory of them both out of your mind."

"Danny, I…"

Danny shook his head, dragging a large box out from the bottom of the closet. "Don't," he instructed. "I'm dead to them, Tim. I know I am and I've accepted it. The least I could do was keep Matt alive in my memory, even if I couldn't any other way."

x

Tim closed the trunk of his car and turned to face Danny. His two-week vacation was drawing to a close and it was time to head back to Miami, work and everything else that came along with the two.

"You promise to call me when you get back?" Danny asked, looking into Tim's eyes intently.

The brunette rolled his eyes and pulled the other man closer. "For the hundredth time, yes," he glared, kissing Danny passionately.

Danny groaned and reluctantly pulled away. "Have a safe trip," he whispered, resting his forehead against his lover's.

"I will," Tim assured him. "I love you," he murmured, the words falling naturally from his lips.

Danny smiled brightly, kissing him once more as he returned the endearment before Tim climbed into the car.

As the brunette pulled away from the kerb, he glanced back at Danny and saw Matt with his arm slung around his twin brother's shoulders, waving at him just like Danny was.

He blinked and suddenly Danny was standing on his own again. He sighed to himself as he put his foot on the gas; he felt better leaving Danny alone now he knew that blonde wasn't as alone as he thought.

The End


End file.
